A new book called “Just Bento” is just that – a guide to how to make Japanese lunchbox meals where the rice doesn’t smile back.

Japanese bentos, known as lunchboxes, have gained a global cult following, sometimes fostered by a syrupy cuteness in the dishes. Rice balls smile back, a hot dog is pan-fried into the shape of an octopus and a car is parked on a bed of lettuce. So “kawai,” or cute, have some of these bentos become that they have become more a shrine to Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty than to food itself.

But Makiko Itoh’s book “Just Bento” brings the focus back to the lunchbox basics: Creating a healthy, homemade meal (cartoon characters not included). Read More »

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Japan Real Time is a newsy, concise guide to what works, what doesn’t and why in the one-time poster child for Asian development, as it struggles to keep pace with faster-growing neighbors while competing with Europe for Michelin-rated restaurants. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, the site provides an inside track on business, politics and lifestyle in Japan as it comes to terms with being overtaken by China as the world’s second-biggest economy. You can contact the editors at japanrealtime@wsj.com